What is a Narcissist?

by Melissa Thompson

The vast majority of people are all too familiar with the Greek mythology of Narcissus. Many versions of this tale describe Narcissus being led to a pool of water by the goddess of revenge, Nemesis. He sees his reflection, unaware that it is merely his own mirror image peering back. Narcissus falls in love and is incapable of leaving his reflection. This tale is thought to be the origin of the term narcissism, a personality type resulting in an extravagant view of one’s self that might present egotism and a fixation on receiving admiration from others. The light shed upon this personality type portrays it as a negative disorder, suggesting numerous misconceptions about narcissism. It is crucial to differentiate between existing
misconceptions and other collective narcissistic traits.